New Jersey CPAs Provide Students with $425,000 in Scholarships

For more than five decades, the New Jersey Society of Certified Public Accountants (NJSCPA) has supported the study of accounting at the high school and college levels. The NJSCPA Scholarship Fund has become the largest professional scholarship program in New Jersey. This year, it will award more than $425,000 in scholarships.

"With the cost of college education increasing annually in the United States and in New Jersey, it's more important than ever to support deserving Garden State high school and college students in their pursuit of an accounting education," says Ralph Thomas, executive director of the NJSCPA. "When you take the long view, our assistance to students helps them, helps the profession, and benefits the public."

Many of the award recipients and their families joined Thomas in April for the 52nd Annual Scholarship Award Ceremony. For many of the students, the ceremony and the opportunity to meet with practicing CPAs and representatives from many of the state's leading accounting firms provided them with their first full-fledged professional networking experience. This year's scholarships will go to twenty-three high school and sixty-five college students, representing almost every county in New Jersey.

The NJSCPA Scholarship Fund consists of:

The High School Scholarship Program, which awards scholarships to high school seniors who plan to major in accounting, is based on academic standing, standardized test scores, and an essay. These scholarships are presented over four years and range in value from $6,500 to $10,000.

The College Scholarship Program awards scholarships to college juniors majoring in accounting who are entering their senior year, and to seniors who are entering an accounting-related graduate program. Scholarships in the amount of $4,000 are based on recommendations, transcripts, and an interview.

The Minority Scholarship Programs are supported by the NJSCPA in conjunction with the Northern New Jersey Chapter of the National Association of Black Accountants, Inc. and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA). These programs are open to college students at the sophomore, junior, and senior levels.

The NJSCPA will begin accepting applications for its 2013 scholarship program in the fall.